Label: Caroline International
Release date: 1/22/2021
Production: Steven Wilson
Album length: 42.02 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 8.5/10
People had been talking about »The Future Bites«, the sixth album from Steven Wilson, the English patriarch of the modern prog rock scene, for almost two years before it came out. The first singles spooked plenty of prog purists, who realized with horror that the new Steven Wilson — now in his fifties, finally settled down with a partner, sporting a short haircut and officially a ‘family man’ — wants to drift even further away from the world of progressive rock and progressive metal, something he’d already hinted at in a more restrained way on his previous album »To the Bone« (2017, RockLine review).
In that time, Steven developed a serious appetite for the late-’70s krautrock scene and for the electro/synth pop and dance pop rock of the ’80s. Steven, who has always hated the idea of being written into the collective consciousness as ‘merely’ a genre-bound prog rock musician, has never hidden his soft spot for certain pop rock bands. It’s also worth mentioning that his backing band includes a musician with plenty of experience in the world of ’80s pop rock and prog pop — the cult bassist and Chapman Stick player Nick Beggs, who made his name mainly as a member of the new wave sensation Kajagoogoo.
While »To the Bone« was in many ways a prog pop rock album that worked both for fans of Steven’s former band Porcupine Tree and for fans of acts like Tears For Fears, »The Future Bites« takes another step into the world of pop rock, dance and electronica. Of course, there was no shortage of skeptics before »The Future Bites« dropped — plenty of prog musicians who thought they could knock out catchy pop rock songs with their ‘left hand’ have got their fingers badly burned over the past decades. Steven didn’t make that mistake, and with »The Future Bites« he’s delivered a very listenable, and above all eclectic and experimental, pop rock album where his prog rock and ambient roots still surface every now and then. Only two songs on »The Future Bites« have obvious commercial potential, and even those two, thanks to ‘explicit’ lyrics that tear into our rotten, capitalist society, wouldn’t suit just any radio station.
The album opens with the short and entirely forgettable ambient lament »Unself«, which is really just an intro to the solid but unexciting synth pop piece »Self«, where the electronic patterns and the backing vocals of Steven’s longtime collaborator, the Israeli backing singer Ninet Tayeb, stand out. The wonderfully ambient and, at the same time, distinctly melancholic »King Ghost« is among the most interesting moments on the album, as its arrangement strongly recalls Steven’s mostly electronic and ambient work from the early days of Porcupine Tree. »12 Things I Forgot«, where the excellent vocal harmonies and the central piano arrangement by Adam Holzman steal the show, is a fusion of the golden age of dance pop rock and Steven’s classic ambient touches.
The funk-leaning »Eminent Sleaze«, which at times sounds like a close encounter between Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson and where you can hear that Steven is, among other things, a big fan of Prince’s musical legacy, will probably be branded by some of his followers as the worst and most annoying thing he’s done in his career so far, while others will find this ‘provocative’ experiment with handclaps and gospel elements hugely entertaining. »Man of the People« is another highlight of the album and one of the few moments where you can talk about classic progressive rock — on this track, its ambient feel recalls both Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd.
»Personal Shopper«, probably the most unexpected move of Steven’s career so far and, lyrically, a big critique of consumerist society, is an odd hybrid of krautrock and dance pop. The harmonies and the acoustic guitar section make this (anti)capitalist anthem very catchy, while the chorus sounds like a close encounter between ABBA and Depeche Mode. The only thing that spoils this thoroughly entertaining experiment, which pokes fun at consumer society, is its excessive length — it’s the longest track on »The Future Bites«, even though its point becomes clear after just four minutes.
Because of its repetitiveness, »Follower« is one of the weaker tracks on »The Future Bites« and, apart from Steven’s short and slightly off-key guitar solo, it leaves no deeper impression. The ambient lament »Count of Unease« comes off better, closing the album in Steven’s ‘classic’ and ‘recognizable’ style, which means it’s one of the few pieces on the record likely to please a wide range of music lovers, old and new fans of Steven’s music alike.
»The Future Bites« will probably be considered a controversial album for years to come, as Mr. Wilson is sure to have rubbed plenty of prog purists the wrong way with it, while genre-agnostic listeners will revel in the abundant arrangement, ambient and production virtues of this predominantly electronic, yet still eclectic and interesting effort. So »The Future Bites« will be appreciated by everyone who doesn’t see Steven first and foremost as the central figure of the modern prog rock movement, forbidden from experimenting with other genres and ‘playing’ with sonic commercialization, while the rest will wait for Steven to return to the more ‘homey’ and ‘comfortable’ world of progressive rock and prog metal.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Unself
2. Self
3. King Ghost
4. 12 Things I Forgot
5. Eminent Sleaze
6. Personal Shopper
7. Man Of The People
8. Follower
9. Anyone But Me
Line-up:
Steven Wilson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Adam Holzman – keyboards
Nick Beggs – bass guitar, Chapman Stick”
Craig Blundell – drums
Guest musician:
Ninet Tayeb – backing vocals
